1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a motor vehicle door lock system with a vehicle lock which can be locked and unlocked by a motor and which can be opened mechanically or by a motor. In particular, the invention relates to such a door lock system having control electronics with a passive entry function.
2. Description of Related Art
Conventional electromechanical motor vehicle door lock systems having a radio remote control but without the passive entry function are generally known. In these conventional vehicle door lock systems, the operator presses a button on the remote control module. This activates the control electronics which passes through its reaction phase immediately. Because of the distance of the operator from the vehicle door, by the time the operator reaches the outside door handle on the motor vehicle door, the reaction phase of the control electronics has long been completed and the motor vehicle lock has been unlocked. By pulling on the outside door handle, the operator opens the motor vehicle door and the motor vehicle lock is opened either mechanically so that the detent pawl is lifted by the motion of the outside door handle, or electromechanically or pneumatically, the outside door handle delivering a control signal to the opening drive to raise the detent pawl.
One such conventional electromechanical motor vehicle door lock system is known, for example, from U.S. Pat. No. 5,240,296. The lock element here is driven by an electric motor-operated central interlock drive with an electric drive motor and worm gear pair. The worm wheel of the worm gear pair is the drive element of the central interlock system. These electromechanical motor vehicle door lock systems of the type disclosed in the ""296 patent run rather slowly and moving the lock element from the locking position into the unlocking position by means of the central interlock drive takes at least 50 ms or even longer. Despite the slow operation, various embodiments of these electromechanical motor vehicle door lock systems have become known, as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 6,062,613.
Control electronics with a passive entry function, also known as an xe2x80x9celectronic keyxe2x80x9d, differ from the above explained conventional motor vehicle door lock systems in that on the remote control module, no manipulation is necessary. Therefore a button need not be pressed to unlock the motor vehicle lock when approaching the motor vehicle. Rather this takes place all by itself when the operator approaches the motor vehicle.
A motor vehicle door lock system with a passive entry function for the control electronics requires a certain reaction phase which includes a starting interval to activate the system as the remote control module approaches, an authorization check interval to check the operator for his authorization by using the coding of the signals exchanged between the remote control module and the control electronics, and finally, the actual action interval in which the action such as the unlocking of the motor vehicle lock takes place. A corresponding reaction phase is also required when locking the vehicle door lock system. However, this corresponding reaction phase is less critical because it is essentially unnoticed by the operator.
The length of the reaction phase of roughly 150 ms (as compared to conventional motor vehicle door lock systems) is perceived as being long if the starting interval is begun only when the outside door handle is activated. Pulling the outside door handle or the like occur in a passive entry function under certain circumstances when the reaction phase of the control electronics has not yet been completed. In such occurrences, the operator can then become annoyed that he/she must pull the door handle a second time and this is interpreted as a xe2x80x9cmalfunctionxe2x80x9d.
Since the resulting total time of the reaction phase cannot be shortened as much as desired, attempts have already been made to conceal the delay time. The published German patent application DE-A- 195 21 024 discloses a motor vehicle door lock system in which the starting interval and the authorization check interval of the control electronics are shifted into a phase which precedes the actual operation phase which is noticeable to the operator. Then, only the remaining time which corresponds to the reaction time of mechanical, conventional motor vehicle door lock system is noticeable to the operator.
A different solution is to have the starting interval of the control electronics initiated not only when the outside door handle is activated, but to use the approach of the hand of an operator to the outside door handle to initiate the starting interval. To do this, the provision of a proximity sensor on the outside door handle is known as disclosed in the published German patent applications DE-A-197 52 974 and DE-A-196 17 038. In these references, there is approximately 100 to 150 ms between the sensing of the approaching hand of the operator and the hand actually touching the outside door handle. The starting interval of the control electronics, i.e., the xe2x80x9cawakeningxe2x80x9d of the control electronics, therefore begins so far prior to the actual pulling of the outside door handle that the starting interval, and usually also the authorization check interval, are already completed when the outside door handle is in fact moved by the hand of the operator.
The use of proximity sensors in motor vehicle door lock systems of the type under consideration entails various difficulties. On the one hand, the proximity sensors have a comparatively high closed-circuit current and on the other hand, it is difficult to set a stable, unequivocal response threshold for such proximity sensors. External effects such as rain, snow, dirt and dust greatly change the measured values in capacitive proximity sensors. Finally, in proximity sensors, the problem of the interfering electromagnetic radiation which they emit cannot be ignored. Therefore, despite their disadvantages, motor vehicle door lock systems with a passive entry function in which only actuation of the outside door handle by the hand of an operator begins the starting interval of the control electronics noted previously have major advantages over systems that utilize proximity sensors.
As evident from the above, in motor vehicle door lock systems with a passive entry function in all their various forms explained above, the primary problem lies in shortening the reaction phase of the control electronics as much as possible, at least with respect to the delay perceived by the operator. Therefore, there exists an unfulfilled need for a motor vehicle door lock system with a passive entry function which minimizes the reaction phase of the control electronics, at least with respect to the delay perceived by the operator.
The primary object of the present invention is to provide a motor vehicle door lock system with a passive entry function which minimizes the reaction phase of the control electronics, at least with respect to the delay perceived by the operator.
This and other objects are obtained by a motor vehicle door lock system in accordance with the present invention in which, in addition to the central interlock drive, an additional electromagnetic high-speed drive for the lock element is assigned to the motor vehicle lock. Whether this high-speed drive directly engages the lock element or other components of the motor vehicle lock which are coupled to the lock element, for example a rod which leads to the inside safety buttons, is not critical to practice the present invention. To practice the present invention, the unlocking position of the lock element and thus, of the entire motor vehicle lock, is reached within a few milliseconds such as approximately 10 ms, after the completion of the authorization check interval by means of the high-speed electromagnetic drive. With the slight additional cost in the motor vehicle lock incurred by the use of a high-speed electromagnetic drive in the form of a lifting magnet, a major improvement in ease of use for the operator is achieved. Instead of 150 ms required in the best possible case of a passive entry system of the existing designs, the reaction phase is now only 100 to 110 ms.
It is significant that the central interlock drive is built in the conventional manner with a slow running drive element. This central interlock drive is however, followed up with the inevitable time delay and after a slightly longer time interval, is then in its readiness position for the next function. The position of the high speed drive on the one hand and the central interlock drive on the other, are then again synchronized.
The teaching of the invention can be used in an especially valuable manner when, as already explained in the prior art, the starting interval is initiated by the hand of the operator actually activating the outside door handle such as by touching it. As discussed previously, although this type of system eliminates the need for a proximity sensor, it has a disadvantage in that the additional time available in systems with proximity sensors is no longer available. However, the present invention can also be readily applied to motor vehicle door lock systems which is equipped with a proximity sensor to further shorten the reaction phase of the control electronics, at least with respect to the delay perceived by the operator.
The teaching of the invention can also be integrated in an especially feasible manner in existing classical electromechanical motor vehicle door lock systems without major additional cost so that in the existing designs the passive entry function can be used without disadvantages in the ease of actuation.
The teaching of this invention can also be used especially advantageously when the motor vehicle door lock is made as an electric lock which is activated by sensors in the lock mechanism. In such systems, chains of dynamic effect from the outside door handle, from the inside door handle, and optionally, from the lock cylinder into the lock mechanism, are used solely for actuation of the corresponding switches or to influence the corresponding sensors. However, if necessary, the lock mechanism can be used for purposes of actuation of the detent pawl, etc. based on the existence of the chains of dynamic mechanical effects as discussed in a commonly owned, co-pending patent application which claims priority to the German patent application number 199 24 447.
These and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments of the invention when viewed in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.